UNDER

THE DUNGEON

room 10
MOUNTAINTHE

1st level
Pillars of Salt


OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a Pillars of Salt
The following text is the property of Wizards of the Coast, Inc. and is Copyright 2000 Wizards of the Coast, Inc
(“Wizards”). All Rights Reserved.
Written by Tim Hitchcock
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15 COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0 Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Rules Document Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.; Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip
Williams, based on original material by E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
The Dungeon Under The Mountain and Pillars of Salt © by Øone Roleplaying Games Øone Roleplaying Games
Some artwork copyright Paul Daly, used with permission. www.Øonegames.com
master@Øonegames.com

What is this Product
This product contains one room
or one dungeon -based encounter.
All the rooms featured here are taken
from one of The Dungeon Under
the Mountain products, available at
www.0onegames.com, although these
products are not necessary, since the
encounter can be adapted without ef-
fort to any existing dungeon.
How to
Use this Product
This product takes advantage from
the PDF technology, joining old-fash-
ioned style with the most advanced
electronic features. In order to use this
product you must use Adobe Acrobat
6 or later.
This product has been designed
to help busy referees in preparing
dungeon adventures and encounters.
Instead of wasting time scaling the
encounters and adapting them to your
party, here you will find a pre-scaled
encounter suitable in three different
versions (for low, mid and high level
of play). At the beginning of the en-
counter text, you will find a big button
like this.
25,%
4(%
$5.'%/.

By clicking on this button you can
choose which level want to play (low,
medium, high). When you have made
your choice all the relevant portions of
the text will change accordingly.
Monsters will scale, DCs will
change, traps and behaviors of the
villains will change, according with the
level of play you choose.
Nevertheless, this is not all.
Beside each paragraph you will
find the same button found before,
but much smaller. This button allows
you to change only the appropriate
paragraph. Therefore, if you need
stronger monsters in your low-level
encounter, you can adjust them and
use mid-level monsters instead of
low-level ones. Likewise, if you want
traps tougher, just click on the para-
graph button and change the level of
the traps paragraph. Blank spaces, due
to different text lengths, will be filled
with placeholder artwork, so you will
have a good-looking page.
Finally, a paragraph called “Person-
al Notes” is left blank. This paragraph
features a text field you can fill with
your notes about the encounter, sim-
ply click and write.
The document saves automatically
the notes when you close it. In order
to recall the notes present on a docu-
ment you must choose “Load Notes”
from the paragraph button. Note that
if you load the previous notes they will
override the notes you are writing
The buttons will not be printed.
The Maps
Those familiar with The Dun-
geon Under the Mountain products
will found the maps easy to use. The
product comes with two maps of the
room. A smaller version of the map
is intended for the referee; the second,
larger one, may come split in more
than one sheet and it is intended for
miniature play.

Welcome
The smaller map features the “Rule
the Dungeon” button. Clicking this
button, you can customize the map by
opening or closing the doors, remov-
ing the furniture or removing the fill
in the walls and more, depending on
the room’s layout. All the choices
made on the smaller map are reflected
on the larger one.
The Background
The Dungeon Under the Moun-
tain is a massive dungeon complex
extending endlessly below the ground.
In a remote past, ancient evil beings
dwelled in the area. Now, the remain-
ing of these mysterious evil beings
have seized the dungeons and filled it
with deadly traps and monsters. Also,
many known villains have established
their strongholds in the depths of The
Dungeon Under the Mountain. No-
body knows why this dungeon is filled
by danger, but nobody cares, since this
dungeon is the most prized adventure
ground of the world. However be
warned, adventurers, your life will be
not easy here and dozens of self-call-
ing heroes never returned from the
Dungeon Under the Mountain!
“You Have Been
Warned”

room 10
UNDER RULE
THE DUNGEON
THE
DUNGEON!
MOUNTAIN THE
Pillars of Salt
(Level 1, Room 10)
Background
and Lead-ins
In order to enter this room, players
must travel one of the five corridors
leading in (one is actually a stair lead-
ing to the Great City). The stonework
in the corridors is exquisitely carved
from white limestone, with alabaster
figurines of cherubic gargoyles framing
large frescoed panels. The colors have
faded and they are chipping badly,
however a careful interpretation of the
pictures tells the following tale:
“Long ago there was a knight who
was the high servant to the king. The
knight had a younger sister, a sweet
child whom he loved dearly. One day,
she came before him in the courts and
her beauty caught the attention of the
king. Immediately, he demanded to
wed her as one of his many brides.
He sent the knight to fetch his sister
and return before the following day.
The knight went to his sister, but the
young girl was stricken with grief for
she didn’t love the old and lecherous
monarch.
She told her brother she’d rather
die, before marry the king. The knight
pleaded with his sister, but she refused
and stole his blade from his girdle
and fell upon it, dying at her brother’s
hand. Fearful of the king’s wraith and
distraught over his sister’s death the
knight fled, carrying his sister’s body
deep into the woods where an old wise
witch lived. There the witch made a
foul pact with the knight to hide his
deeds from the king. The girl’s body
was burnt and the witch transformed
UNDER THE DUNGEON
MOUNTAIN THE
Pillars of Salt
the knight’s tears to salt. When later
the king confronted the knight about
his missing sister, he remained stone-
faced and unreadable. Still, the greater
loss fell upon the knight for he was
unable to mourn the passing of his
sister and was forced to live out his life,
unable to share his loss and love.”
The corridors leading to this room
are tunnels encrusted with crystalline
salt shards. The tunnels are a little less
than five feet in diameter making it an
cramped and narrow crawl. The salt
is enchanted to desiccate anything it
contacts (see trap section). At the end
of the tunnels, light reflects on the
salt encrusted walls. Large depos-
its of salt have crystallized over the
doorways completely sealing them
but allowing some light to filter out.
Damaging the crystalline deposits
alerts the mephit residing in the room
Room Environment
Lighting: low-light. Candles
RULE
THE
DUNGEON!
reflecting off salt crystal.
Terrain: normal
Room Description
for the Players
As emerge through the salt covered
door, your eyes are assaulted by a diso-
rienting contrast of glare and shadow.
Like the cramped tunnels leading here,
the room inside is limned with salt
deposits that cover the walls, floor, and
ceiling. Scattered throughout the small
chamber, a half dozen or so massive
crystalline formations jut in threaten-
ing angles like frozen thorn bushes
after a midwinter’s frost. Strangely, the
room is lit by a score of poorly made
tallow candles placed haphazardly atop
various salt deposits. The room feels
hot and dry and moisture seems to be
siphoning out of your flesh. As your
eyes adjust to the bouncing light, they
rest on several dark shadows inside

1st level
some of the large crystals. As you peer
closer, you see within them dried husks
of humanoids so badly desiccated
that you are unable to determine their
original race. Their skins are pulled so
tightly that they appear skeletal, though
their postures and expressions are
eerily preserved in an articulation of
unimaginable pain.
Room Description
for the Referee
The room has seven salt entombed
corpses, crusts ranging from between
three-inches-thick to a pair that are
almost foot thick. The thickest connect
floor to ceiling and are the diameter
of an oak, while the thinner ones
almost look like humanoid statues (see
treasure section for full descriptions).
A search reveals another smaller
crystal nearby that has been hollowed-
out and filled with a handful of tear
shaped salt crystals.
Combat Tactics
[high]
If PCs break the crystalline seal it
draws the mephit’s immediate at-
tention. First, he casts invisibility on
himself, followed by mage armor, and
unholy aura. Then he waits stealthily
for the opportune moment to strike
interlopers. He initiates combat with
sneak attack against the closest oppo-
nent, then uses his breath weapon to
retreat and use his spell-like power to
draw moisture from the air. Next, he
uses darkness to obscure his location
and attempts to summon another salt
mephit to aid him. Afterwards, he at-
tempt further sneak attacks, augment-
ing his melee attacks with smite good,
contagion, chill touch, and poison, and
making additional breath attacks where
possible. If reduced to 30 hit points or
less, he casts blur then retreats and uses
his unholy blight ability then alternates
between his ranged spells, horrid wilt-
ing, and his breath weapon.

room 10
Roleplaying Tactics
DUNGEON!
The PCs may try to reason with
the mephit, which is not an impos-
sible task. He is not pleased with the
terms of his servitude and although he
is powerful, he isn’t brave enough to
have tested the terms and conditions
of his imprisonment/guardianship.
PCs that immediately acknowledge his
DUNGEON!
plight and show him some empathy
can attempt to use Bluff to convince
him that they have come to aid in his
release. A successful opposed Bluff
check causes him to cease his attacks
and enter into wary conversation with
an initial attitude of indifferent. From
that point on, PCs can attempt to ma-
nipulate his attitude with Diplomacy
checks.
If the mephit can be made help-
ful, he reveals that he once served a
powerful witch who enslaved him as
the guardian of the knight’s tears. He
believes he was once a knight as well,
but the witch cursed him and altered
his form when she made him guard-
ian. He also believes that if the tears
are removed from the chamber, he
will turn into a pillar of salt. None of
these statements are true, the mephit
is the victim of a well-worded modify
memory spell. Of course, dispelling
the enchantment cures the mephit,
though he may remain hostile towards
PCs depending on previous actions
and circumstances.
UNDER THE DUNGEON
MOUNTAIN THE
Pillars of Salt
RULE
Relevant Skill
THE
DUNGEON!
Checks
[high]
Search DC 28: Locates the
doors behind the salt cover
Search DC 25: Locates the Crys-
tal Container
RULE
THE
Traps, Mechanical
Devices, Doors, and
Objects Statblocks
[high]
Salt Encrusted Door, thickness
2 in, hardness 8, HP 30
Desiccating Salt (environ-
mental hazard): Any living crea-
ture entering the salt encrusted passage
or room is subject to the desiccat-
ing effect of the crystalline deposits.
Each minute the individual remains
exposed to the salt crystals, he must
make a Fortitude save (DC20) or lose
2d8 temporary points of Constitution
damage as the crystals pull water from
his body. Creatures with the earth
subtype are immune to this effect
while creatures of the water subtype
receive a –4 penalty to saves against it.
Water creatures that save successfully
still take half damage.
Salt-Sealed Doorway, thickness
4 in, hardness 8, HP 60, break DC 40.
Hollow Salt Crystal Con-
tainer, thickness 1 1/2 in, hardness 8,
HP 22

1st level
RULE
Treasures and XP
THE
If the PCs resolve this encounter
by roleplaying, award the same XP as
they defeated the mephit in combat.
[high]
Salt Crystallized Body 1:
A male wearing loose fitting cotton
robes. He clutches a rod of frost, On
his person is are several cracked and
dried out leather pouches. Most hold
only dust, but one contains three small
garnets worth 150 gp each. Tucked
into the robes is a bone scrollcase con-
taining a scroll of cone of cold, detect
scrying, and stinking cloud (CL 13)
Salt Crystallized Body 2: A
female wearing a worn suit of ring-
mail. The leather bodice of the armor
is dried so completely that as soon as
the salt crust is removed, the armor
starts falling apart.
A +1 longsword is crusted into the
floor at its feet.
Salt Crystallized Body 3: A
female wearing a suit of leather armor
that is remarkably still supple (greater
slick leather +3). On her person is
a crumbling backpack with a set of
masterwork thieves’ tools, three empty
glass vials, a tinderbox, 60 platnium
coins, and several other unidentifiable
items dried to dust. On one of her
fingers is a ring of free action.
Salt Crystallized Body 4: A
male body wearing furs and hides that
crumble to dust as soon as they are
exposed to air. He is still clutching a
+1 battleaxe engraved with primitive
runes. Around his neck is a +2 amulet
of natural armor.
Salt Crystallized Body 5: A
female body wearing a suit of elven
chainmail and clutching a +3 dag-
ger and a rapier of puncturing. Slung
across her back is a crumbling wood-
en lute, a horn of fog and a pack filled
with dust.
Salt Crystallized Body 6: A
male knight in suit of +3 full platemail

room 10
and holding a lion’s shield and a sun
blade. He wears a pale blue tabard
resembling the knight in the tapestry.
Salt Crystallized Body 7: A
ghoulishly pale ad desiccated woman.
She wears a gorgeous gown and veil
hand-stitched from white lace now
yellowed with age. She crumbles as
soon as her body is exposed to air.
The Crystal Container holds
five greater salt tears.
RULE
Monsters and
THE
DUNGEON!
Villains Statblocks
[high]
Jhermali CR 18
Male half-fiend salt mephit rogue 7/
sorcerer 5
CE Small Outsider (Earth, Extraplanar)
Init +2 (+2 Dex, misc. mods); Senses
Darkvision 60ft; Listen +8, Spot +8
Languages Common, Terran.
AC 24*, touch 16, flat-footed 24; un-
canny dodge
hp 89 (15HD); fast healing 2/round;
DR 10/magic
Immune poison
Resist evasion; acid 10, cold 10, elec-
tricity 10, fire 10; SR 25
Fort +8, Ref +11, Will +9
Spd 30 ft. (6 squares), fly 40 ft. (aver-
age)
Melee 2 claws +17 (1d3+5) and bite +14
(1d4 +2); Multiattack
Base Atk +10; Grp +11
Atk Options sneak attack +4d6
Special Atk breath weapon (1/1d4
rounds), smite good, summon
mephit
Spells (CL 5, +16 melee touch, +13
ranged touch):
2nd (5/day)– blur, invisibility
1st (7/day)– chill touch (DC13), mage
armor (already cast), magic missile,
ray of enfeeblement (DC13)
0 (6/day)– detect magic, light, mend-
ing, open/close, read magic, touch of
fatigue (DC12)
Spell-Like Abilities (CL 15):
UNDER THE DUNGEON
MOUNTAIN THE
Pillars of Salt
1/hr– glitterdust (DC 14)
3/day– darkness, poison (DC 17), unholy
aura
1/day– blasphemy, contagion (DC 16),
desecrate, horrid wilting (DC20),
unholy blight (DC 17), unhallow
1/day– (CL6) draw the moisture from
an area in a 20-foot-radius centered
on itself. Living creatures within
range take 2d8 points of damage
(Fortitude DC 14 half). Plant crea-
tures and aquatic creatures take –2
penalty to saves. This ability is the
equivalent of a 2nd-level spell.
Abilities Str 21, Dex 15, Con 15, Int 10,
Wis 11, Cha 17
SQ trap sense +2, trapfinding
Feats Combat Casting, Eschew Materi-
als, Magic Aptitude, Multiattack,
Power Attack, Toughness, Weapon
Focus (claw)
Skills Balance +10, Bluff +8, Climb +5,
Concentration +7, Diplomacy +8,
Disguise +5 (+7 acting), Escape
Artist +8, Hide +16, Intimidate +12,
Jump +8, Move Silently +12, Search
+5, Sense Motive +7, Sleight of
Hand +7, Spellcraft +7, Tumble +8,
Use Magic Device +10, Use Rope
+6 (+8 with bindings)
Breath Weapon (Su): 10-foot cone of
salt crystals, damage 1d4, Reflex
DC 13 half. Living creatures that
fail their saves are tormented by
itching skin and burning eyes. This
effect imposes a –4 penalty to AC
and a –2 penalty on attack rolls for
3 rounds.
Fast Healing (Ex): Jhermali heals only
if in an arid environment.
Smite Good (Su): Once per day,
Jhermali can make a normal melee
attack to deal extra +15 damage
against a good foe.
Summon Mephit (Sp): Once per day,
Jhermali can attempt to summon
another salt mephit, much as
though casting a summon monster

1st level
spell, but with only a 25% chance
of success. Roll d%: On a failure,
no creature answers the summons
that day. A mephit that has just
been summoned cannot use its
own summon ability for 1 hour. This
ability is the equivalent of a 2nd-
level spell.
New Objects, Spells,
and Magical Items
Salt Tears
A salt tear can turn its user’s
expressions and emotions to stone,
making their intentions and motiva-
tions unreadable to even the most
skilled interrogator. The user activates
a salt tear by crushing it, following
which he gains a + 10 competence
bonus to all Bluff checks for the next
24 hours. Salt tears are usually found
in groups of 4 +1d4
Moderate transmutation: CL7;
Craft Wondrous Item; creator must
have 10 ranks in Bluff; Price 250gp.
Salt Tears, Improved
As salt tears except the user is also
warded as if under the effect of an
undetectable alignment spell
Moderate transmutation: CL7;
Craft Wondrous Item; undetectable
alignment, creator must have 10 ranks
in Bluff; Price 700gp.
Salt Tears, Greater
As improved salt tears except the
user is also warded with a screen spell
and the competence bonus to Bluff is
increased to +15.
Strong Illusion: CL18; Craft
Wondrous Item; screen, undetectable
alignment, creator must have 15 ranks
in Bluff; Price 3,600gp.
Designer’s Notes
When running this encounter, try
as best you can to stress the drying
effect. I suggest describing how the
PC’s skin grows slowly ashy and flakes
 UNDER THE DUNGEON

room 10
MOUNTAIN THE

1st level
Pillars of Salt
RULE
as it dries, make their eyes sting (you THE
DUNGEON!
Personal Notes
may even want impose a Spot penalty
though the room is small enough that Write here your personal notes
it shouldn’t matter), and make their
lips chapped and split. Don’t be afraid
to slightly excessive, because unlike
a desert encounter, once the players
leave the room they should have am-
ple time to recover from any desiccat-
ing effects.

Author’s Bio
This is Tim’s fourth room for
the Dungeon Under the Mountain.
Recently however, he’s discovered that
there are further levels to the dungeon
and is therefore beginning to think he
might never find his way out.


 UNDER THE DUNGEON

room 10
MOUNTAIN THE

1st level
PILLARS OF SALT (DM REFERENCE)

2
1

5 4

RULE
THE to the Great City
DUNGEON!

one square = 5 ft.

 UNDER THE DUNGEON

MOUNTAIN THE

Pillars of Salt (battlemap 1 of 1)

© Øone Games, permission granted to print for personal use only
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